I’ve been offered a live-in caregiver position for 24x7 care. Family is not willing to set up days off or hire another caregiver. $2400 month
Is this fair? The family said the days would be worked out as we go. I will get free rent, food, and use of their car. I asked for every other weekend off.
My DH looked into 12 hr overnight aides for his mom. $12K a month.
As for the 'we'll work it out'--hon, they will get you in the door and you'll likely never hear from them again, My guess is this is one burned out family who is ready to hit the wall with the CG they've either been doing or paying for.
I would ONLY consider this if:
You get all weekends OFF. And that means the nights too.
You have a lawyer write up a contract that protects you in every way possible.
Your withholding fees are paid by them.
You are bonded at their cost.
You have a meeting once a week to keep the family updated and you have a written 'right' to be with this person, taking them to Drs appts, etc.
Someone in the family should be boots on the ground at least once a week--to protect you and the family member.
Food and gas should be included, separate from the $2400.
You have a room and bathroom with locks so you can be assured of your comfort and safety.
There should be one or two backup CG's that you can lean on. (I get it, they're trying to save money, and maybe the pt doesn't want strangers in their home. But at some point, they do lose that 'right'.
So. Many. Things to think about.
Just don't jump at the thought of not having to pay rent. $2400 is not much for a month of being completely tied down.
My DH did about 8 -24/7's for his mom and he was ready for the looney bin after about the third shift. They've had to modify everything about MIL's CG. He was so exhausted when he was home, he was asleep all the time.
Don't jump into this without taking a loooong step back and looking deeply into what you'd be getting into.
I have a feeling that these people are incredibly naive about the true cost of in-home caregivers, or they're counting on you being that person.
Even if you were paying say, $2500 a month for rent, I seriously doubt you'd be spending thousands per month on a car and groceries to match the value of what they're paying you.
This is an offer that requires you to either laugh at them, or educate them. The fact that caregiving for anyone 24/7 is not possible makes this even more absurd.
Walk away, and if you apply for a similar position, know your worth, what days off you require, and what state law says regarding how many hours a person can work in a day. Also require the employer pay you legally, not under the table.
"Free" rent, food and use of the car is NOT a fair exchange for indentured servitude. At $2400 a month you would be making A whopping $3.33 per hour. That breaks down to $80.00 per day for months that have 30 days and for the months that have 31 days you would be making less at $77.41 that would be a grand total of $3.22 per hour. You can go flip burgers for more than that. What is being proposed is NOT LEGAL
And if they are reporting this and leave you paying taxes at the end of the year that is going to put you in a world of hurt! And you know they will report it because they will need "proof" that the money is being used to provide care.
"The family said the days would be worked out as we go. " So you asked for every other weekend off, and they basically said no.
Is this employment offer all verbal? Anything in writing? What happens if you get sick?
Just guessing, but does the "1959" in your username mean you are somewhere around 63 or 64 years old? Is this really how you want to spend your senior years?
$ 2400 and I’m guessing all under the table with no tax reporting and no defined backup CG and a whole bunch of maybe manana from them on details.
absolutely not & others have given you pretty specific advise as to what need to be included in a CG agreement. I’d like to add that Workman’s Comp & health insurance has to, HAS TO, be in place for you to ever consider this job. One bad lifting and there goes your back…. What then??? Anyone who thinks it’s OK @ $2400 for basically being 24/7 on call 30 days, DNGAF if you hurt yourself.
Please don’t accept this job offer. It’s not going to work out like you want it to.
Keep looking for another job. Caregivers are in demand. Good caregivers are worth their weight in gold. I’m sure that you will find an appropriate place to work where you will be treated fairly.
You need to go to your Labor Board and find out how the law reads for live-in care workers. Each state maybe a little different.
IRS does not look at you as self-employed. So these employers need to make payroll deductions and match what is deducted for SS. You need those Social Security earnings.
Even though u live-in, you work a 40hr week and r paid for OT. You also get time off and they need to hire someone when ur not there or they do the Caregiving.Your room and board are not free, they are perks of the job. You should get paid minimum wage for hours worked.
Before I make any agreement with them, you and they need to know your rights. Never settle for "we will work it out as we go". You can negotiate this however you want, but you deserve time off (think its 24hrs a wk). You make sure you have a contract in place, signed by you both and notarized. Also, have a back up plan if this does not work. You need a place to go.
Two weeks notice is not a law its being considerate. My State is an "at will" State which means an employer can let an employee go without giving a reason and the employee can do the same. Believe me, I have seen a lot of people walked out of their jobs with no 2 weeks notice.
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They are paying you $3.28 cents an hour if my calculations are correct!!!
They should be paying you $20 an hour, for 24 hours a day for 7 days a week. That is $13,440 a month.
Plus, you will have to pay taxes on that amount. It’s too much money to do under the table. Maybe you could but it’s risky.
and you get no vacation, no health, no dental, no retirement.
Its your life.
My DH looked into 12 hr overnight aides for his mom. $12K a month.
As for the 'we'll work it out'--hon, they will get you in the door and you'll likely never hear from them again, My guess is this is one burned out family who is ready to hit the wall with the CG they've either been doing or paying for.
I would ONLY consider this if:
You get all weekends OFF. And that means the nights too.
You have a lawyer write up a contract that protects you in every way possible.
Your withholding fees are paid by them.
You are bonded at their cost.
You have a meeting once a week to keep the family updated and you have a written 'right' to be with this person, taking them to Drs appts, etc.
Someone in the family should be boots on the ground at least once a week--to protect you and the family member.
Food and gas should be included, separate from the $2400.
You have a room and bathroom with locks so you can be assured of your comfort and safety.
There should be one or two backup CG's that you can lean on. (I get it, they're trying to save money, and maybe the pt doesn't want strangers in their home. But at some point, they do lose that 'right'.
So. Many. Things to think about.
Just don't jump at the thought of not having to pay rent. $2400 is not much for a month of being completely tied down.
My DH did about 8 -24/7's for his mom and he was ready for the looney bin after about the third shift. They've had to modify everything about MIL's CG. He was so exhausted when he was home, he was asleep all the time.
Don't jump into this without taking a loooong step back and looking deeply into what you'd be getting into.
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Even if you were paying say, $2500 a month for rent, I seriously doubt you'd be spending thousands per month on a car and groceries to match the value of what they're paying you.
This is an offer that requires you to either laugh at them, or educate them. The fact that caregiving for anyone 24/7 is not possible makes this even more absurd.
Walk away, and if you apply for a similar position, know your worth, what days off you require, and what state law says regarding how many hours a person can work in a day. Also require the employer pay you legally, not under the table.
And if they are reporting this and leave you paying taxes at the end of the year that is going to put you in a world of hurt!
And you know they will report it because they will need "proof" that the money is being used to provide care.
Is this employment offer all verbal? Anything in writing? What happens if you get sick?
Just guessing, but does the "1959" in your username mean you are somewhere around 63 or 64 years old? Is this really how you want to spend your senior years?
absolutely not & others have given you pretty specific advise as to what need to be included in a CG agreement. I’d like to add that Workman’s Comp & health insurance has to, HAS TO, be in place for you to ever consider this job. One bad lifting and there goes your back…. What then??? Anyone who thinks it’s OK @ $2400 for basically being 24/7 on call 30 days, DNGAF if you hurt yourself.
Where are the other 2 people? You need 8 hours of sleep and 8 hours off every day.
Keep looking for another job. Caregivers are in demand. Good caregivers are worth their weight in gold. I’m sure that you will find an appropriate place to work where you will be treated fairly.
Best wishes to you in finding employment.
IRS does not look at you as self-employed. So these employers need to make payroll deductions and match what is deducted for SS. You need those Social Security earnings.
Even though u live-in, you work a 40hr week and r paid for OT. You also get time off and they need to hire someone when ur not there or they do the Caregiving.Your room and board are not free, they are perks of the job. You should get paid minimum wage for hours worked.
Before I make any agreement with them, you and they need to know your rights. Never settle for "we will work it out as we go". You can negotiate this however you want, but you deserve time off (think its 24hrs a wk). You make sure you have a contract in place, signed by you both and notarized. Also, have a back up plan if this does not work. You need a place to go.
Two weeks notice is not a law its being considerate. My State is an "at will" State which means an employer can let an employee go without giving a reason and the employee can do the same. Believe me, I have seen a lot of people walked out of their jobs with no 2 weeks notice.
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